At last a 3D game that doesn't
copy the Quake/Quake 2 style of gaming. Thief is a refreshing new and
original game that does not involve you running around bland, 3D
levels killing everything you come up against. So what type of game is
it? It is hard to put Thief into a category, but it feels like a Role
Playing Game more than the usual FPS. Read on and find out just what
makes this a great gaming experience.

Installation is simple,
Autoplay asks if you would like to install Thief: The Dark Project and
you just follow the instructions from there. It also installs both the
Intel Codec 5 and Microsoft's DirectX 6.0 (Assuming you don't already
have it).

The game begins with an
impressive Full Motion Video intro showing how your character has
become a thief and just how he goes about his job. The in-game menu
consists of the usual options including

New Game

Load Game

Options

Intro

Credits

Quit

First
thing to do is to set-up my video card, as games tend to enjoy
selecting my ATI card instead of the Voodoo 2. Clicking on the options
menu gives you both Audio and Video menus - I selected my Voodoo 2's
DirectX driver and run the game in 800x600; you can also select any
gamma changes your video card may need.

Audio plays a massive part in
Thief so make sure you go to this menu before you start and ensure
that you have selected the best options for your soundcard - These
options include using Hardware Acceleration if your soundcard supports
it, unfortunately my card doesn't. (Creative - feel like sending me a
Live! card for review?)

Gameplay and
Controls

Thief: The Dark Project begins
with a well put together training level (Assuming you want to play
it). Before each mission, including the training level, you are given
the mission objectives, these range from breaking into mansions,
prisons etc without being seen or heard to searching out a specific
object within a level.

The training level shows you
the various controls, which are quite easy to master. They include
creeping, walking and running. Creeping plays a big role in Thief,
once mastered, especially in the first proper level, you can creep
past guards, rooms with servants in and anything else for that matter,
but remember, just because creeping works in one play, it isn't always
the best option. If a guard turns around and spots you in the light
whilst you are trying to creep past, he won't hesitate to strike a
blow with his sword. So not only must you use the creep option, you
must also be aware of light and dark areas in rooms (Of which there
are many). Torches light up rooms and by using your water arrows you
can snuff them out, this helps to give you a better hiding place. If
you are careful enough, you can creep up to the guards and servants
without being noticed and then pickpocket them for an important item
such as a key for a room or more healing potion.

Creeping up on guards is just a
small part of the game, by using your blackjack weapon you can get
close enough to the enemy to give them one swift blow to the back of
the head, this knocks them unconscious. Yet again, just knocking out a
guard isn't always enough to stop you being noticed, if another person
walks past an unconscious body lying on the cobbled floors, he will
gladly shout out or sound an alarm. There is a way around this, you
can pick up the unconscious body and carry it into a darkened area of
the level and leave it there, and this means it is unlikely that
anyone will spot the body on the ground.

Hopefully this is giving you an
understanding of how Thief works. It isn't a game in which you must
run around each level blasting people away, If you even attempt to do
that, then expect a quick death as a couple of blows from a sword will
soon have you collapsing in a pile of blood.

Thief is an excellent game in
terms of how it makes you think about what you are going to do next.
Sometimes it pays to wait and watch guards, servant, zombies or
whatever enemy is close by just to see what their walking and turning
patterns are to see if there is a way past them without being noticed.

The controls in Thief are
excellent and almost every function in the game came be customized. I
do have one problem with it though, after picking up objects from
tables or from the floor, it is sometimes a little easy to
accidentally activate that item without meaning to. A bomb for
example, or a healing potion that are scarce in the game can be used
up when you have full strength, it doesn't happen often, but when it
does it can be incredibly annoying.

Graphics and
Sound

The graphics engine is fine;
just don't buy it expecting fantastic special effects like those seen
in Unreal and Quake 2. The graphic (Dark) Engine is more like that
seen in Jedi Knight nothing fancy, but it does the job well. There are
a few problems with it - I understand that the game is dark as this is
vital to the gameplay, but some parts of Thief are just TOO dark.
Finding your way around a room when it's pitch black is not easy, but
I guess that is why it is called The Dark Engine. There are also a few
areas in the game, which jerk like mad, despite only having one other
enemy on screen at the time, it also happens if you walk close to a
burning fire in various rooms.

The full motion video that
accompanies each mission is great. They help to carry over the dark
atmosphere of the game and are also extremely well narrated.

Thief: The Dark Project has
some wonderful sound, the game is packed full of speech with guards
walking around chatting and whistling tunes. I was surprised that so
many of the guards had a different voice and did so many different
things during the game. Servants start to whisper amongst each other
and act worried whenever they hear the slightest noise from you.

Atmosphere in any 3D First
Person game is essential and Thief doesn't disappoint. Walking around
the various levels you can hear people quoting holy texts, but even
better is the 3D sound that is being generated in the game. The 3D
sound helps you hear where guards are walking or standing, for
example. If you hear footsteps getting louder and louder, you know
that someone is close by (Logical Byron)

One strange part in the game is
the choice of music, it's almost industrial, but it surprisingly works
well, and it tends to only show up in the intro and mission briefings.

Final
Comments

Thief: The Dark Project is a
must buy for anyone who has become bored of the same old 3D games
coming out lately. Thief is a genuinely original game released in
times when originality seems to have gone out of the window. The
atmosphere and gameplay is second to none and help make Thief my game
of the year. Oh and one final point, It is also almost bug-less -
Trespasser, Tomb Raider 3 and Sin please take note.

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